Prom 44: 18.08.16 - Shakespeare: Stage and Screen

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:30 Thursday 18 Aug 2016
Royal Albert Hall

William Walton: Richard III Suite (arr. Muir Mathieson)
Gerald Finzi: Love’s Labour’s Lost – suite
Sir Arthur Sullivan: The Tempest – Overture to Act 4
William Walton: As You Like It – a poem for orchestra after Shakespeare
Joby Talbot: Springtime Dance from The Winter's Tale
Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story – Symphonic Dances
Cole Porter: Kiss Me Kate
Richard Rodgers: The Boys from Syracuse

BBC Concert Orchestra
Keith Lockhart conductor



This transatlantic Prom presents a range of Shakespeare's characters as reflected on stage and screen - with an all-British first half and a second half devoted to American musicals, conducted by the US-born Keith Lockhart.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07p12hh

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Surely this theme gives scope for more than just this?

[bluestateprommer]

Caught the first half of this Prom through earbuds. Some brass blips here and there, but given the lighter nature of this program, I'm a little more forgiving of momentary slips. Overall, it was OK, if not "great", but with the 'happy clappers' unfortunately out in force, particularly in the Finzi Love's Labour's Lost suite. The main "novelty" was the Joby Talbot selection, which struck me as over-loud post-minimalism.

[edashtav]

Caught the first half of this Prom through earbuds. Some brass blips here and there, but given the lighter nature of this program, I'm a little more forgiving of momentary slips. Overall, it was OK, if not "great", but with the 'happy clappers' unfortunately out in force, particularly in the Finzi Love's Labour's Lost suite. The main "novelty" was the Joby Talbot selection, which struck me as over-loud post-minimalism.

it's fascinating to get an American's take on Jody Talbot. His piece, more a discrete dance than a selection, bsp, struck me as a chip off the Michael Torke block. I was not as damning of it as bsp for I found it had life, keen rhythms and excellent scoring. In fact, it was fine ballet music.

Walton's Richard III Prelude may be described as "On the Road to Orb and Sceptre" whilst his earlier, rather aimless "As You Like It" poem nodded in the direction of Arnold Bax with a melodic clip from Tintagel.

I found Sullivan's Tempest Prelude to be young man's music, written in thrall to Mendelssohn and Schumann and having little connection to Shakespeare.

The stand-out work for me in the British half was the Finzi. It had wit, brevity, clarity, and directness ,although it owed a debt or two to Pulcinella and Stravinsky. It was neatly played and well characterised. James Lockhart conducted it in primary colours.

The Bernstein was untidy and its rhythms lacked panache and swagger. For me, this was a lacklustre performance of a work that is the epitome of "chromium plated".

"Kiss Me Kate" started more vigorously, the least its corny music demanded. The vocal numbers showed Cole Porter's forte: writing songs and the singing was idiomatic with excellent diction. The RAH audience may not have been shaken but it was stirred and enjoyed a new-found freedom to applaud individual movements without angst. I found the tenor to be a little too self-indulgent, over-emphasising held back measures. The love song could have been more mellifluous, some vowel sounds moved to obtrusive consonants too soon e.g. "YouRRRs". Some instability in tuning was rectified by using vibrato to pull find the centre of the note.

I hadn't previously encountered the Boys From Syracuse. The melody of the first number"Go Back to Dear Old Syracuse" would have benefited from more careful dynamic shading from the soloist. The marine duet was too matter of fact and, for me, lacked chemistry between the singers. Of course, I recognised, unexpectedly, the hit no. "Falling in Love with Love" and this was sung with an endearing lilt with graceful accompaniment provided by James and his band. The soloist's forced upper register tarnished her performance. Therafter, I lost the will to listen.: "All''s Not Well That Ends Not Well".

Overall, this programme was lightweight and insubstantial. I'm afraid Alpie hit its nail on the head. I was mildly diverted after a stressful day, but had I paid good money for a ticket, I would have felt badly short-changed.

[bluestateprommer]

it's fascinating to get an American's take on Jody Talbot. His piece, more a discrete dance than a selection, bsp, struck me as a chip off the Michael Torke block. I was not as damning of it as bsp for I found it had life, keen rhythms and excellent scoring. In fact, it was fine ballet music.

Walton's Richard III Prelude may be described as "On the Road to Orb and Sceptre" whilst his earlier, rather aimless "As You Like It" poem nodded in the direction of Arnold Bax with a melodic clip from Tintagel.

I found Sullivan's Tempest Prelude to be young man's music, written in thrall to Mendelssohn and Schumann and having little connection to Shakespeare.

The stand-out work for me in the British half was the Finzi. It had wit, brevity, clarity, and directness ,although it owed a debt or two to Pulcinella and Stravinsky. It was neatly played and well characterised. James Lockhart conducted it in primary colours.

The Bernstein was untidy and its rhythms lacked panache and swagger. For me, this was a lacklustre performance of a work that is the epitome of "chromium plated".

"Kiss Me Kate" started more vigorously, the least its corny music demanded. The vocal numbers showed Cole Porter's forte: writing songs and the singing was idiomatic with excellent diction. The RAH audience may not have been shaken but it was stirred and enjoyed a new-found freedom to applaud individual movements without angst. I found the tenor to be a little too self-indulgent, over-emphasising held back measures. The love song could have been more mellifluous, some vowel sounds moved to obtrusive consonants too soon e.g. "YouRRRs". Some instability in tuning was rectified by using vibrato to pull find the centre of the note.

I hadn't previously encountered the Boys From Syracuse. The melody of the first number"Go Back to Dear Old Syracuse" would have benefited from more careful dynamic shading from the soloist. The marine duet was too matter of fact and, for me, lacked chemistry between the singers. Of course, I recognised, unexpectedly, the hit no. "Falling in Love with Love" and this was sung with an endearing lilt with graceful accompaniment provided by James and his band. The soloist's forced upper register tarnished her performance. Therafter, I lost the will to listen.: "All''s Not Well That Ends Not Well".

Overall, this programme was lightweight and insubstantial. I'm afraid Alpie hit its nail on the head. I was mildly diverted after a stressful day, but had I paid good money for a ticket, I would have felt badly short-changed.

After reading your comments on the Joby Talbot, I gave it another chance (after several weeks' interval, so to speak). Regrettably, JT's selection didn't get better for me on a second hearing. But it's OK that we have different reactions to new music, as life would be dull if we all agreed with each other all the time. I am with you on the overall feel of the concert, after I finally managed to catch up with the full 2nd half before the iPlayer deadline. The American musical comedy selections are definitely familiar Boston Pops territory with respect to Keith Lockhart, although John Wilson rather seems to have stolen that baton/thunder in recent years. These performances were a nice diversion, but as you said, overall a lightweight night. But again, that's OK. Not all things in life need to be deadly serious.